Many attempts have been made to clear a polluted atmosphere of noxious gases by the use of fine water jets and spray devices. Such devices have been successful to a degree, but their efficiency and speed of operation has been generally unsatisfactory due to the use of droplets which are generally too large to make efficient contact with the air molecules.
It has been shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,503,704 and 3,520,662, issued to Alvin M. Marks, that a charged aerosol spray device has superior air purification performance over prior art devices for many reasons, including the large surface area which resulted from the formation of the charged aerosol. However, these prior art devices were subject to operational and performance limitations caused by short circuiting within the device, the buildup of moisture on the capillary tube, the improper relationship between the applied voltage, the speed of the flow of noxious gas through the device, and, in some instances, the excessive high temperature of the air or gas to be purified.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide air purification devices employing charged aerosols which overcome the shortcomings of prior art teachings.
Another object of the present invention is to provide air purification devices employing charged aerosols which can operate at higher voltages and with more rapid and complete absorption or reaction with noxious gases.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide air purification devices which can be used with high temperature exhaust gases, such as are emitted by an internal combustion engine.